Phrases.com »

Phrases related to: more by accident than by design Page #16

Yee yee! We've found 1,518 phrases and idioms matching more by accident than by design.

Sort:RelevancyA - Z
less is moreThat which is less complicated is often better understood and more appreciated than what is more complicated; simplicity is preferable to complexity; brevity in communication is more effective than verbosity.1855, Robert Browning, "Men and Women":Well, less is more, Lucrezia: I am judged.1954, "'Less Is More'," Time, 14 Jun.:The essence of Mies's architectural philosophy is in his famous and sometimes derided phrase, "Less is more." This means, he says, having "the greatest effect with the least means."2007, Gia Kourlas, "Dance Review: An Ordered World Defined With Soothing Spareness," New York Times, 3 Mar. (retrieved 22 Oct. 2008):The program, which features two premieresRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
lesser of two evilsThe more desirable of two bad alternatives.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
let outTo enlarge by adjusting one or more seams.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
let slipTo divulge a secret, as by accident or mistake.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
let there be lightUsed other than as an idiom: see let, there, be, light.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
let's get the party startedLet's go; let's get this done; let's start more intense action.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
lick someone's assUsed other than as an idiom. to perform anilingus on someoneRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
life is like a s*** sandwich the more bread you have the less s*** you eatThe main point is bread is slang for money so money makes your sandwich a little less repulsive and your life a little less well whateverRate it:

(5.00 / 3 votes)
light paintingUsed other than as an idiom: see light, painting.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
light skirtUsed other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see light,‎ skirt.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
lighten upTo become less serious and more cheerful or casual; to relax.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
lighter than airReference; Aircraft which maintain 'lift' because of 'gasses', 'hot vapors', 'heated air'; e.g. Blimps, Dirigibles, 'Hot-Air' Balloons: Able to lift objects, beings with weight greater than the Aircraft itself:Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
lightning chessA form of chess in which each player must move much faster than normal. Time is controlled by a clock or a buzzer. If a player fails to make the time control he or she forfeits the game. Also known as speed chess.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
limber upto stretch; stretch one's muscles to make them more limber, as before exerciseRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
lingua graeca latinā locupletior (copiosior, uberior) estthe Greek language is a richer one than the Latin.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
lire du pouce (or, doigt)To skip in reading (i.e. to do more work with the thumb than the brain).Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
little oldUsed other than as an idiom: see little, old.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
little pitchers have big earsSmall children often overhear more of what is said than adults realize or desire.1844, Charlotte M. Yonge, Abbeychurch, ch. 2:Seeing me listening to something she was saying to Mamma, she turned round upon me with that odious proverb, "Little pitchers have long ears."1939, "Bedtime Bedlam," Time, 17 Apr.:A caution to U. S. parents, but a joy to radio merchandising, is the dread truth that little pitchers have big ears.2002, Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, ISBN 9780743455961, p. 185:I suppose he might say pushed or went woowoo, but took a shit is, I fear, very much in the ballpark (little pitchers have big ears, after all).Rate it:

(2.33 / 3 votes)
Little Pitchers Have Big EarsSometimes little children who listen to old people’s conversation hear and perceive things a lot than people expect them toRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
little womanUsed other than as an idiom: see little, woman.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
live and learnAn exhortation to gain knowledge from living experiences. Commonly used after an accident or misfortune to indicate a moral lesson.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
liven upTo improve a person's mood by making them more energeticRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
liven upTo become more happy, energetic or positiveRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
loaded diceUsed other than as an idiom: see loaded, dice.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
Lock the Barn Door after the Horse is OutTo be become more conscious in doing something when it is already too late, to give useless try to somethingRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
long drinkAny drink containing more than 5 ounces of liquid and less than 9 ounces. Typically, a long drink will have lots of ice and mixer.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
long tailUsed other than as an idiom: The tail of a distribution that represents the rare occurrence of extreme values..Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
longius aetate provectum esseto be more advanced in years.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
look aroundUsed other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see look,‎ around.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
look beyondTo see potential past obvious flaws; to consider something more than something else.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
made of sterner stuffstrong and determined (especially more so than someone else, to whom one is being compared).Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
magic eyeUsed other than as an idiom: see magic, eye.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
magnetic deviationUsed other than as an idiom: see magnetic, deviation.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
mail it inUsed other than as an idiom: see mail, it, in.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
main dragUsed other than as an idiom: see main, drag.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
main sequenceUsed other than as an idiom: see main, sequence.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
mainland ChinaAlso used other than as an idiom: see mainland, China.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
make a better door than a windowTo obstruct someone's view, especially as a result of thoughtlessness.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
Make a Federal Case Out of SomethingTo give something more importance than it deservesRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
make a meal ofTo spend more time and energy on some task than it warrants; to make something overly complicated.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
make a mountain out of a molehillTo treat a problem as greater than it is; to blow something out of proportion; to exaggerate the importance of something trivial.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
make heavy weather ofTo overcomplicate things, to make things appear worst than they are.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
make it rainUsed other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see make,‎ it,‎ rain.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
make no mistakeUsed other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see make,‎ no,‎ mistake.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
make timeTo travel at faster than usual speed.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
make yourself at homeA welcoming invitation to a guest to treat a place as if it were their home; a gesture to put someone at ease or make them feel more comfortable, especially in a new or unfamiliar placeRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
make yourself prettyimprove the way you look i.e. get dressed (especially in something nicer than what you are already wearing), put on makeup, brush your hair, brush your teeth, etc; connotes that you are not pretty enough at this moment and that you should improve the way you look; an insult sometimes used intentionally (or unintentionally) to make someone feel inferiorRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
male-to-femaleUsed other than as an idiom: see female, to, male.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
man-of-warUsed other than as an idiom: see man, of, war. (A military man.)Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
March to the Beat of a Different DrummerDo the things in your own way, don’t consider other people, to believe in different way, different attitude than other personsRate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)

We need you!

Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

Alternative searches for more by accident than by design:

Quiz

Are you a phrases master?

»
Of course it's true, I heard it straight from the ______'s mouth.
A hare
B rabbit
C horse
D cat

Browse Phrases.com

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ